asteroid which has given its name to the Amor-Apollo asteroids, a group which can cross the Earth’s orbit. Almost 100 are known although many more must exist. They are related to the Aten group, but Atens have orbits of under a year and Apollos more.

US space programme which placed people on the Moon for the first and so far only time, in 1969 and the early 1970s. Apollo and other lunar projects carried out by the US before the manned landings, Surveyor and Lunar Orbiter, led to a huge increase in knowledge of the Moon and the rest of the solar system, but did not lead to increases in the practical use of space technology, one of the main intentions behind Apollo. It now seems to have been a technical cul de sac and future Moon missions will rely little on Apollo technology.